Archive for
October
2014

(District of Columbia) New research confirms a long-suspected flaw in the nation’s primary program for turning around perpetually bad schools – too many of them have been allowed to shake off aggressive intervention mandates.

The California Energy Commission on Tuesday approved a $4 million contract with a southern California firm to provide support to K-12 schools and community colleges moving forward with Prop. 39 projects -- from installation of temperature control devices to alternative energy systems, including solar.

(D.C.) At the intersection of gender and racial disparities, a group of American students still struggles to reach equal access to educational opportunity: African American girls, large numbers of whom fail to graduate from high school and go on to live in poverty, according to the latest statistics.

Although placing students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment is federally mandated, program managers need to guide staff in the implementation of inclusion and mainstreaming to make this policy a functional reality.

(Kan.) To clarify what teachers and administrators are allowed to do to subdue a student who is acting out, the Kansas State Department of Education is considering a change in the wording of its policy governing restraint and seclusion.

(Calif.) With an appeals court finding last month that a Southern California district violated federal discrimination protections, legal experts suggest that schools undertake a thorough review of their athletic programs to make sure they are providing equal opportunities based on gender.

The idea that students with disabilities should be educated to the maximum extent possible with their non-disabled peers is conceptually simple but making the ideal a reality is an entirely different matter.

(Alaska) A fifth grade teacher in Alaska, who publicly admitted last week to smoking pot for medical purposes, has surprisingly seen more support than opposition from parents for his stance as voters here contemplate a ballot measure to legalize recreational use of the drug.